What Dreams May Come
by Kimstyl
Summary: DISCLAIMER: You don't have to own them to be passionate about them... SETTING: In Ep. 3x22 Kate and Castle shared a tender moment. She walked away, went to her room. When she came back out moments later, Castle was gone. What if... "He ran the back of his fingers across her cheek lightly drawing her to him. She came willingly, unable to resist his magnetic pull".
1. Chapter 1

**WHAT DREAMS MAY COME**

She closed the door again and then closed her eyes. "How many times can I do that to him and expect him to stick around?" she thought.

He was her friend; best friend (with the exception of Lanie). This she knew without equivocation. He had proven it time and time again. He was with her through many if not all of her major cases, always ensuring that she was okay, cared for. Even this time, he dropped his plans on a moments notice, knowing that she was going to find Royce's killer, he found her flight, upgraded her seat and hotel; always supporting her, caring for her, being there. She hated herself at this moment, but she had been doing it for so long it was a knee-jerk response of sorts.

Right now she had other things on her mind. They had come here (to L.A.) to find Royce's killer, not to complicate their relationship. And besides she had Josh at home or in Haiti, or Africa, or wherever the hell 'Captain Save the World' was at the moment. Everything else just had to wait. She hoped to God that it would wait.

Kate tried to put their conversation out of her mind by taking a long hot shower and washing her hair; not that it helped much. She drifted off, fantasizing that he would step into the shower with her at any moment; help her wash her hair; loofah every inch of her massaging her achy muscles... Then she abruptly shook herself out of the fantasy and went about her nightly ablutions trying to clear her mind of that last exchange.

"Yeah, a good night's sleep is what we both need. We'll finish this, bring Royce's killer to justice, and then..." she said to herself in the mirror. She couldn't finish her own thought; it as just too much right now. She did a face plant in the bed hoping sleep would come quickly, but she tossed and turned for what felt like hours before it finally took her under.

_Kisses, soft kisses trailed up her spine gently waking her from a restless sleep. She turned slowly unable to focus at first, and then he came into view. He was on his knees at her bedside on the left staring at her with a deep blue fire in his eyes. He ran the back of his fingers across her cheek lightly drawing her to him. She came willingly, unable to resist his magnetic pull. _

_As their lips touched, a spark of electricity passed through her, which extended to every inch of her body. She reached out and pulled him to her inviting him into her bed. He broke their connection slightly to pull his shirt off over his head. He then slid his free hand down her side and she arched into his touch. He straddled her positioning himself on her right side on the opposite side of the bed. She followed turning completely around finding his lips immediately and with urgency. He pushed her back gently slowing down the kiss, savoring it. He explored her mouth slowly, carefully, like he was making mental notes of every inch. He moved down her neck, his lips so soft as he reached 'that spot' that made her moan ever so sweetly. He inched up her oversized sleep shirt as his soft hands caressed her sides and abdomen and was slowly making their way up to her breasts. _

_Skill, this man had skill, and she was quickly losing control. With his left hand, he divested her from her top and she tried to pull him down to her needing her skin to be in contact with his, but he hovered over her coming close but never giving her his weight. She could no longer stand not feeling him and arched up to meet him. Again he laid her back down kissing across her clavicle, making his way down to her breasts. He gently sucked and teased and tugged her sensitive flesh moving from one side to the other rendering her incomprehensible. She twisted her hands in the sheets as he was determined to remain just out of her grasp. _

_He continued moving down kissing the middle of her abdomen until he reached her panty line. He made slow work of removing her lace panties with his teeth, running his hands down every inch of her long legs. He made his way back up her thighs just as slowly, separating her gently enjoying the view and how her body gave in to every command of his hand. She was coming undone before he had even done anything to her... how was that possible? _

_He lowered his head, nuzzling her curls, teasing; always teasing. "Castle please..."she cried out barely above a whisper, her head spinning; dizzy with lust and desire. He dipped in, darting his tongue in and out lightly at first. She let out a moan. He then began to feast in true Castle fashion; teasing, tasting, savoring, paying attention to every detail taking notes of how she reacted to his every twist, every movement. She canted up toward him, moaned louder, sobbed even, no longer able to control her own voice or her reactions. _

_She wanted, needed to touch him. He lifted her to him pulling her in with one hand at the base of her spine. She was powerless to resist; not that she wanted to. She was close, so close and it was amazing. _

_Changing the angle once again he curled one finger inside her joining is mouth to bring her to a climax that felt like an explosion of technicolor fireworks throughout her body. She came crashing down around him, but he didn't let her go. Instead he guided her back to reality slowly, gently, with his fingers and kissing his way back up her body to that sweet spot on her neck. _

_She moaned that heavenly moan that he couldn't get enough of. She reached for him, wanting to taste his lips on hers again, but could no longer feel him. She cried out, "Castle please...I need you now", but there was no response. She cried out louder, "Castle where are you?"_

Her room was pitch black and very still. She looked around everywhere all at once not seeing or hearing anything. She jumped out of the bed, ran to the door and yanked it open. The living area was empty, devoid of motion. It was as she had left it earlier, beautifully decorated, dimly lit with only the bottle of wine and two glasses she and Castle abandoned.

Dazed and confused, but still fully dressed in her bedclothes, she was drenched with sweat. She began to tremble fiercely, suddenly cold. She jumped back into bed, sat up against the headboard and quickly pulled one of her pillows to her chest in an attempt to grab hold of her senses. As she began to catch her breath and her heartbeat began to slow down, the very vivid realization of what had just happened was coming into focus. She lay back down on the bed and slapped a hand over her eyes, "ah hell, I'm gonna need another shower", she voiced into the darkness. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter II**

He stood up slowly, stared after her for a brief moment, then went to his room and proceeded to quietly freak out. "Oh shit; what did I do? Did I go too far? She was just so sad, mourning Royce's death; I just wanted to make her feel better, cheer her up. What if I crossed a line? Said too much? Went too far? Messed up our relationship (working or otherwise)?". The questions were coming so fast and furious into his head and out of his mouth that it made him dizzy. He sat down on the bed and put his face in his hands.

They had just come from dinner, winding down from the stressful events of the day. Working their way through an exceptional bottle of wine, the conversation just went there. One moment, Kate was recalling good memories of her and Royce, and then sadness overtook her as she realized that she would never talk to him again. Castle assumed they were romantically involved at one time, but wouldn't dare ask. He could see on her face that she had unresolved things to say to Royce. In true Castle fashion, his mouth just got away from him and what started out as consoling words to Kate, ended up..."I could blame it on the alcohol", he thought out loud; "but she would never buy it".

Panicking, and with his heart beating erratically, he tried to get himself under control by getting to his feet, pacing back and forth across the room and breathing in and out slowly. "Castle, calm down... she didn't yell at you, she didn't say you crossed a line (which I'm sure she would have), she didn't run out of the room kicking and screaming, or say you made it too uncomfortable for her to stay in the same hotel room with you, she politely excused herself and said good night", he recalled.

Okay, okay, maybe it was not as bad as he thought. He would never take advantage of her in such a vulnerable state and never wanted to her think otherwise. He just wanted to be her safe place, _always_. Yeah, he was in love with her, but above all he was her friend, best friend and he hoped she felt the same. If they couldn't be more than friends, which they couldn't because Kate was in a relationship with Dr. Motorcycle Boy, his 'Playboy Persona', both of their less than stellar track records with relationships, and other things, then being best friends was enough for him for now.

The tension in his head mixed with the wine was turning into a full-blown headache. He sat back down on the bed, kicked off his shoes and toed off his socks. He pushed himself back up the bed until he hit the pillows, covered his eyes with one arm and fell into a deep sleep.

"_Castle..." he heard as he felt someone gently shaking him out of his sleep. It took him a minute to focus through the haze, but there she was hovering above him. "Kate, is something wro...", he groggily began as she placed a finger to his lips and said, "Shhhh". She began tracing the strong lines of his jaw, his eyebrows, the scar above his eye, and his lips so delicately with her index finger it made him feel like he was floating in mid air. She leaned in and gave him a gentle kiss to make sure he was fully awake. He caught her lips with his, thinking that they were the softest he had ever felt. _

_She deepened the kiss as she felt him become more involved. She slid her tongue along his bottom lip and he welcomed her inside. She explored every inch as he fought to maintain his control; savoring the taste of her as their tongues danced into the night. _

_He wanted to kiss her like this for so long, that the last thing he wanted to do was scare her off by being too aggressive, however, his aggressiveness was not an issue on this night. She was bringing the heat to him. _

_She nudged him over and stretched out along his left side, tangling her bare leg with his pant leg. She slowly removed her lips from his moving to his earlobe and then down his neck. She then straddled him, pulling him up slightly and pushing his shirt down off his shoulders, while never interrupting her assault on his neck. She reached down slowly lifting his tee shirt out of his pants, caressing his sides and chest, softly, gently, in an upward motion. He raised his arms as she moved up and with one swift move she relieved him of it. _

_She kissed every inch of his chest, teased his nipples with the slightest tugs of her teeth, while simultaneously massaging his broad shoulders and down his abs. He was quickly becoming incoherent. As a matter of fact, if anyone asked him his name right now, he couldn't give it to them. _

_She unbuckled his belt and removed it with the flair of a rodeo star. She next went to work on the buttons of his jeans. He clumsily attempted to help, but she removed his hands and placed them back down on the bed. Before he knew it she had rendered him pants-less and boxer-less, however, for he life of him he couldn't remember the process. _

"_What was she doing to him?", he thought. For a man who makes his living with words, he couldn't find a single one to describe how incredible this felt, she felt. He had other women before, of course, but none had ever tried to bring him to a point of incomprehension like this. He was turning into a puddle of mush, pure and simple; and he didn't mind one bit. _

_She found his mouth again with hers; as her hands, her magic hands, electrified his soul. _

_She reached down slowly and dipped a finger into and out of his navel. He flinched slightly, not expecting her playfulness. She walked her fingers over and found the length of him right there, firm, ready. His breathing took an erratic turn as she began to work her hand up and down the length of his shaft at a leisurely pace, methodically, carefully, with her thumb skating over his tip at the end of every stoke. Feeling his heart could explode at any moment, and the tight coil in his lower abdomen, he leaned forward to rest his head in the junction of her neck and her shoulder. "Oh, Kate", he moaned, suddenly remembering how to form words. _

_He reached down to still her hand, wanting their first journey into ecstasy to be a simultaneous event. He reached out, needing to hold her close right at this moment. He whispered, "Kate, I want to be inside you, come with me…I...where...where are you?" _

Thud! Whimper! "Ouch! What the…?" He found himself lying face down on the floor where he had fallen. He was alone. His room was still; empty, however her essence was all around him. He righted himself staying on the floor, turned and sat with his back against the bottom of the bed.

Minutes passed...many many minutes; it was still a blur. Hell, he could almost feel her hands on his body every time he closed his eyes to blink. He pulled his knees up to his chest and wrapped his arms around them as he slowly began to reclaim his faculties. He was fully dressed, sans his socks and shoes. "I'm in so much trouble here", he thought out loud.

Whatever that was he had just experienced had been way too real. Before he fell asleep, he convinced himself that he could remain in the friendship zone for as long as she needed him to, as long as it took for her to feel comfortable taking a chance with him, however this was the exact opposite.

His headache was back with a vengeance. He put his head down on his knees and sighed, "I need a big ass aspirin…and a shower…a cold shower". He stood slowly wincing, (his knee hurt like a bitch) as he limped into the bathroom.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter III**

She stepped out of the bathroom again with her head wrapped in one towel and her body wrapped in another. She glared at the bed giving it the evil eye as if it was the cause of her dream. No way could she have that kind of dream about Castle unless some outside forces were involved.

She needed to keep her focus on the task at hand, finding Royce's killer. Not to mention, Josh; what to do about Josh? Yeah, he changed his plans and stayed with her momentarily, but now he was off again and she didn't seem to mind, which brought her to the realization that their relationship wasn't what she was looking for. "When we get back to New York, and he gets back from wherever, I'll deal with that; but for now, focus Kate", she told herself.

She made a wide loop around the bed as she walked over to her suitcase to rummage for a new set of nightclothes. After putting on a tee shirt and tights, she removed the towel from her hair and let it hang dry. The alarm clock on the side of her bed glowed 3:00 AM angrily at her in a slime green color. "Ugh" she sighed.

Going back to sleep was not an option for her right now, so she reached in her bag once again and pulled out the latest Grisham novel she had packed for the trip. She sat in the chair in the room and curled her legs up underneath her as she began to read. After about twenty minutes she realized that the oblivion of a book didn't get her out of her head the way she hoped it would, so she decided a change of scenery might be better.

She got up from the chair and called the concierge to order a coffee service. She expected to be speaking with some overnight clerk, but it was Maurice who answered the call. "Does this guy ever sleep?" she thought to herself. After ordering the coffee she hung up and walked over to the door and opened it.

He was standing there on the opposite side of the room in front of his door. His hair was wet and slicked back fresh from his shower. He was shirtless and barefoot. His chest was broad and firm, abs tight. Not male model tight, like Josh, but tight all the same. He had a thin line of hair that started just above his navel and disappeared into his expertly tailored jeans that sat low on his waist, defining an impressive package in the front and made is ass look spectacular. She would have to remember find an excuse to tell him not to wear those to the precinct; it could make concentrating on work very difficult. The final piece of the picture was that she saw no hint of boxers, which made her knees get a little weak. She caught half of her bottom lip between her teeth as she tried hard to suppress a lecherous smile.

—

He jumped slightly, just as surprised to see her, as she was to see him. Her drying hair was a cross between wavy and curly and framed her face beautifully he thought. She wore a white tee shirt that wasn't tight, but wasn't very loose either. He could tell that she had nothing on underneath. Rounding out her ensemble was pair of gray leggings that made her legs look like they went on for miles.

She was standing there…without makeup… without her fashion forward Metropolitan wardrobe… without her heels… and he never wanted her more. All he could do was stop and stare. His stomach tightened and his crotch twitched as he fought hard not to let his jaw drop. "Oh shit… trouble", he mumbled to himself.

—

She was the first to speak. "Hey...what are you doing up at this hour? Are you okay?" she asked. He swallowed hard and after a minute, answered, "Yeah, uh no, I couldn't sleep. That bed is not as comfortable as it looks", he lied as he looked down and ran his toes through the carpeting. "I thought I'd come out here and write for a while", remembering that he had his laptop in his right hand holding it up to her.

She could always tell when he was hiding something, but then again so was she, so she decided not to call him on it.

"Why are you up, Detective?"

"It must be the time zone change. I couldn't sleep very well either", she replied evasively. "I was coming out here to read. But if you prefer to be alone…"

His heart was beating so fast and loud he could feel it in his ears. He was never more unsure of himself as he was at this moment, but he decided to go with what he knew best; his sardonic wit.

"No please stay...but does it have to be Grisham?"

"Well, he's not my favorite, but he'll do in a pinch."

"And who exactly is your favorite? Would it be a ruggedly handsome, part-time volunteer detective?"

"Oh, does Patterson volunteer at a precinct where he lives?"

"You wound me deeply Detective".

Just then the doorbell rang.

"Are we expecting someone?"

"I called for a coffee service a little while ago. That must be it".

"You must have been reading my mind", Beckett.

She opened the door and it was none other than Maurice with a coffee cart for them. He excused himself briefly, stepping into his room to put on a tee shirt.

He returned to find that Kate had already taken a comfortable position on one end of the couch sitting with her back against the armrest and her legs curled up under her. She was balancing her book with one hand and her coffee cup with the other.

Coffee was just what he needed to even himself out he thought. Between the wine, the dream, and the presence of her, he felt like he was losing it. He busied himself making his coffee. The hot liquid calmed his senses almost immediately as he took his first sip. He walked over to the couch and sat at the other end, placing his laptop on the coffee table. As he sipped, he kept glancing over at her. Kate noticed he was more fidgety than usual, but decided to ignore it. He desperately needed to find out what she was feeling about their earlier conversation, but didn't know how to begin. Finally, he decided to just come out with it. "Beckett, can I ask you a question?"

"You know it makes me a little nervous when you ask me if you can ask me something", she quipped.

"Did…did I overstep our friendship boundaries, earlier? My mouth was kind of running ahead of my brain and if I said anything to make you uncomfortable…I just wanted to know if I did and…" he said in a jumbled mess that came out all at once without him taking a breath.

Kate looked up at him with her best interrogation room expression, uncurled her legs as she sat up placing her book and coffee cup on the table in front of her. "Well, tell me something Mr. Castle, did you mean any of it or were you just trying to get me into bed?" she smirked.

"All of it…I meant all of it. But I didn't mean for it to come out like that. Of course I would love to take you to…but I would never try to take advantage of this situation or you. I know we're here for Royce", he shakily replied.

He looked so sincere that she couldn't bring herself to continue to make him squirm. His eyes were the bluest she had ever seen them. She thought she could see right through to his soul. If she wasn't in love with him before, she was now…at this moment.

If her dream was any indication a night of hot sex with Castle would be great without question, but she wanted them to have more, be more. So she suppressed her lust, replacing it with compassion as she slid closer to him brushing his shoulder with hers and said, "Then no Mr. Castle, you didn't do or say anything wrong. Your gentleman status is still intact". She ran her hand through the hair at his left temple before she could stop herself.

He let out a deep breath that he didn't know he was holding. He relaxed back onto the sofa as his heartbeat began to slow down somewhat and he stared at her. Her eyes were intense.

"Castle", she started softly, "I'm so glad your here with me. There is no one that I trust more to help me with what I have to do. I know you have feelings for me and as much as I try to deny them, I have feelings for you too. But you know why we can't let ourselves get carried away right now, don't you"?

"Yeah, your in a relationship with Josh", he stated flatly.

"Well, yes, that's one thing. And while the relationship with him is not ideal right now, its something I need to sort out. Either way I couldn't cheat on him".

"And I wouldn't want you to. I've been on the receiving end of that scenario and it didn't feel, great". Shit, he didn't mean to tell her that. He hated letting anyone know about things in his past that showed his vulnerability like this, but she just had a way of pulling stuff out of him.

"Oh, I didn't know. Is that what happened with you and Gina"?

He sat quietly for a long minute trying to decide whether to answer her question or not.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to pry. Forget I asked".

"No, its okay. It was Meredith not Gina. So...not only was she not so good as a mother, she was not so good as a wife. Maybe I was not so good as a husband and drove her away", he shrugged and took a deep breath then let it out and continued; "With Gina, you were kind of right...every thing was on a schedule, and you know I don't do schedules very well". He averted his eyes from hers, feeling at fault for the failures of his past.

She reached in and gave him one of her life affirming hugs. It warmed his soul. It slowed the staccato rhythm of his heart. For the first time in a long time he felt safe sharing his secrets with someone, with her. There was no judgment, no pity, just a deep sense of trust. They were slow to release each other. Their cheeks brushed each other's and his lips caught the corner of her mouth.

He leaned in.

She didn't back away.

His lips touched hers lightly.

Electricity passed through both of them.

They stared into each other's eyes.

Hers was dancing between hazel and green.

He loved when they did that.

His electric blue.

Full of simmering passion.

He cradled her face with both hands as his lips touched hers again, more deliberately this time. The kiss was slow, controlled, and tender. She responded, closing her eyes allowing herself to melt in to the softness of his touch, the silkiness of his lips. Neither advanced the kiss into dangerous territory, as they were both content with the promises they were giving each other of the things to come. When they eventually pulled apart, he caught her bottom lip between his as he gently stroked her cheek, "Oh Kate…" he murmured.

She stilled his hand, without removing it from her face.

"If you don't stop calling me Kate like that…I'm going to fall apart", she whispered.

No one has ever put so much feeling into her one syllable name. Full of desire, passion, security, love. She secretly hoped he would never stop saying her name like that.

"And I'll be here to pick up the pieces…Always", he replied just as softly.

He would. He was such a goner. He hoped she didn't mean it because now that he saw how saying her name that way affected her, he didn't think he could ever stop.

She let out a breath she didn't know she was holding, smiled a knowing smile that reached her eyes as she kissed his palm and returned it to him. They were silent for a long moment.

"We should try and get in a few more hours of sleep, we have a long day tomorrow, uh, later today I mean", she said finally.

He realized the coffee was having the reverse affect on him, as he was suddenly very tired. "Yeah, I think I can go back to sleep now," as he stood and walked to his bedroom door. This time, he hoped her essence would find him again in his slumber. He turned to get one last glimpse. "Until the sun kisses you awake, Detective", he called after her.

She spun around, opened her mouth to speak then closed it again. She simply smiled and backed into her room. After she closed the door she leaned against it and said to herself softly, "See you in my dreams Mr. Castle".

__fin _


End file.
